Squad has released update 2.2 for the Kerbal Space Program across Windows PC, Mac and Linux platforms, introducing major features such as career mode, research and development components and more.

The Career Mode allows players to hire astronauts, conduct research and development, construct ships while adhering to a budget, as well as completing contracts to amass money and reputation.

Researching nodes on the Career Mode's Tech Tree can unlock new experiment modules that can be added on to ships, potentially opening new areas of the solar system for players to explore.

Other new features include several new buildings, subassemblies, new suspension system for landing legs and Stability Assistance System (SAS) upgrades. For the full list of changes, check out the changelog on the game's Steam page.

"Career Mode is going to change the way people play Kerbal Space Program and update 0.22 is a major advancement in making that possible," lead developer Felipe Falanghe said in a statement. "Science and R&D should provide a fun challenge for existing players while helping new players get into the game, by providing a way to gradually discover all of its content and possibilities. We're still not finished with Career Mode but this is definitely going to give people a very real understanding of what we're trying to accomplish."

The update is available now via Steam or on the Kerbal Space Program website. To witness the update's features in action, watch the gameplay trailer below.